While the design and price of the PS5 are not known, we know that the PS5 is supposed to offer performance for 8K. But what does it actually cost if you want to game in 8K? Is that even possible and what technology is behind it? We explain to you what such a setting would cost and what technology is involved.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X promise gamers a lot of power. The PS5 is said to support a resolution of up to 8K. We want to take a look at what such an 8K setting would cost. To do this, we’ll first look at which devices currently offer 8K support.
What role does 8K play in 2020? At the beginning of the year, from January 7 to January 10, 2020, 8K was a major topic at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). The Consumer Technology Association, or CTA, also defined who is allowed to use the 8K label.
What does 8K gaming with the PS5 cost?
Which devices support 8K? Currently, there are few devices that support 8K natively. One of them is the Dell-UP3218K, which is currently the only 8K monitor.
The problem: The monitor costs a hefty 3400 Euros (as of April 2020). This is very new technology, which appeals more to early adopters and tech enthusiasts than to the average gamer. In addition, the monitor only offers 60 Hertz – for gamers who want to play competitively, that’s simply not enough.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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DELL UP3218K 81,28 cm (32 Zoll) 8K UHD 4320p Ultra-Sharp Monitor (DisplayPort, 6ms Reaktionszeit)... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
Here, mainly specialists such as designers, graphic artists, and photographers are addressed.
Is there an alternative? The only alternative currently is the 8K TV from Samsung. Here, too, we are in the four-digit price range, which is also not really practical for everyday use.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Samsung QLED 8K 55Q950R* | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
Here, Samsung also includes the current HDMI 2.1 standard, which is necessary for 8K.
What does the future hold for 8K? At CES 2020, many manufacturers like Samsung and LG announced further 8K screens. However, Corona could delay many of these announcements. Sony stated, that Corona has not yet affected the launch of the PS5.
Anyone who really wants to game on an 8K monitor will either have to be patient or bite the bullet by investing several thousand Euros in technology. This technology is still in its infancy.
PS5: Price and 8K Setting
Another factor is that the prices of the PS5 and Xbox Series X are not known at the moment. Currently, it is speculated that the price will be somewhere between 450 and 600 Euros. It is also suspected that the price of the PS5 could be lower than that of the Xbox Series X.
On top of the approximately 600 Euros for the console, there will be the costs for a corresponding screen or monitor based on current prices (as of April 2020). However, these costs are still in the four-digit range, which will not be an option for most players.
With the 8K setting consisting of PS5 and 8K screen, we would then be looking at a budget of around 3000 – 3500 Euros.
In addition to the setting, the games that truly support 8K resolution are also needed.
Most users may well be satisfied with the current PS4:
PS5 and 8K – What our readers say
Many of our users are skeptical about whether the PS5 really needs 8K:
- For example, MeinMMO reader KingK writes: “I have a PS4 Pro and a Slim. I’m definitely pre-ordering the PS5 and then selling the Pro. I won’t voluntarily stick to 30 FPS and long loading times. 8K is completely irrelevant to me. 4K or FHD with high frame rates is more than enough. Just need a new monitor.”
- Wesker sees it similarly: “(…) overall a great package that Sony is planning. Constant 60FPS+ at Full HD would be something I’m very happy about. 8K is completely uninteresting. 4K? Maybe, but I prefer more FPS over higher resolution. So it would be nice if players have the choice. Will probably buy it.”
- And Sarakin adds: “It’s completely sufficient for console gamers… How many console gamers have a monitor or TV that can achieve 120Hz? Those are also in the range of 2000 €… I doubt that console gamers have something like that lying around at home.”
4K vs 8K – what is the exact difference?
The biggest difference lies in the size and sharpness of the screen:
- A 4K monitor has 3,840 x 2160 pixels
- An 8K monitor has 7,680 x 4,320 pixels. In other words, 8K offers four times the amount of pixels as 4K.
What technology does the PS5 use? Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X rely on HDMI 2.1 The advantage: HDMI 2.1 supports the resolution of 8K at 60 Hertz and 4K resolutions up to 120 Hertz. However, it is also a prerequisite that the respective screen or monitor supports the HDMI standard.
What technology do PC gamers use? Many gamers nowadays rely on DisplayPort. The problem: The common DisplayPort on graphics cards is currently 1.2, which only supports 4K at a maximum of 60 Hertz.
For 8K, 30 Hertz would still be possible, but that is not an alternative for most gamers. Gaming at 30 FPS is absolutely not enjoyable. The alternative to this is to rely on HDMI 2.1.
HDMI or DisplayPort? For gamers, DisplayPort is the better alternative:
- DisplayPort offers a transmission speed of 77 Gb/s. HDMI offers only 43 Gb/s.
- Both standards generally provide the same image quality at 4K and 8K.
- HDMI 2.1 supports a resolution of 8K at 60 Hertz and 4K resolution, while DisplayPort 1.2 on current graphics cards only achieves 4K at 60 Hertz
- In the gaming sector, most manufacturers, for example, increasingly rely on DisplayPort for graphics cards.
Anyone who relies on DisplayPort can alternatively control the output of the screen through graphics cards that have two DisplayPort connections and can control them. Nvidia cards from the GeForce 1000 series and AMD cards from the Polaris generation support driving two DisplayPorts.
The other problem: For gaming, the graphics card must also provide enough performance. The most suitable ones here would be the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 or the Nvidia Titan Xp, which do not provide full 8K performance either.
By the way, we once looked at what the PS5 and Xbox Series X would cost if built as a PC.
